Tree-Planting Drones Could Save Us From Deforestation

At 10 Times the Speed and 20% of the Cost of Current Methods

February 6, 2018,
Bruno Jacobsen

According the Nature, there are around 3 trillion trees throughout our planet. That's about half the number of trees we had 12,000 years ago. And we chop down 15 billion more trees every year. That's without a doubt a lot. But these tree-planting drones could help us get some of it back.

Tree-Planting Drones Could Save Us From Deforestation

Deforestation is not a small problem. The World Economic Forum calls it "one of the greatest challenges facing humanity." According to them, it could lead to disastrous climate change, loss of species, and significantly affect indigenous people's habitats.

At the moment, we plant about 9 billion trees a year, which means we're 6 billion short of neutralizing our activities.

To plant those 9 billion trees, we use heavy machinery or our human hands. Which can be slow and expensive.

Enter tree-planting drones, developed by BioCarbon Engineering. It developed drones that are capable of planting 100,000 seeds per day. According to Lauren Fletcher, the company's CEO, 60 drone teams would be able to plant 1 billion trees per year.

And that's impressive. It's about 10 times faster than what currently happens, and at only 20% of the cost.

The tree-planting drones are also capable of carrying different types of seeds and plant in different soil conditions. But that's not all. Accordingto the company, the drones deliver seed pots that are bio-degradable, ensuring high germination rates.

We have written about the different industries drones are expected to revolutionize. From e-commerce to entertainment and construction. Here's another area where drones could have a profound impact.

Trees are an extremely important part of our ecosystem. Without them, we wouldn't be here. Drones may prove an important ally in preserving the planet we call home. By automating tree-planting drones, we may very well mitigate many of the risks of deforestation. We may even be able to reverse it.